Up hill and down Lathkill Dale

We took advantage of a fine day on Tuesday to enjoy a walk with some colleagues. We set off from Youlgreave and headed to Lathkill Dale.

There was a diversion to Over Haddon for some lunch. It’s a picture-book village, with a nice pub and some excellent views over the local area.

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The Colour Purple

We are rapidly becoming acquainted with the many faces of the Snake Pass. Now that SuperMum has moved to a new care home, it has become a regular journey for us.

I had always assumed that the name came from the twisting and turning route followed by the road, but last year we found […]

Arbor Low

Tucked away in a quiet corner of Derbyshire is a rather magnificent ancient monument. Arbor Low is a Neolithic henge, consisting of a large earthwork, some 90 metres across, that encloses a circle of limestone blocks. It’s stunning to look at, so it’s no wonder it’s been referred to as ‘the Stonehenge of the […]

Wirksworth Festival – A Belated Part Two

So little time, so much to do… Time for a sneaky back-post. Ahem.

Our final port of call on the trail was one I was particularly looking forward to. I wasn’t disappointed.

I’ve watched Niall Young’s pictures take shape on his blog, but seeing them for real, at life-size was infinitely better. Niall was absolutely […]

Wirksworth Festival – Part One

So little time, so much to do…

Sometimes we’re spoiled for choice, which was definitely the case a couple of weeks ago: would it be the opening stage of the Tour of Britain that grabbed our attention, or maybe one of many tempting Heritage Open Days? Alternatively it was Art and Architecture weekend at Wirksworth. […]

In Which No Snow Drops, But There Are Many Snowdrops

We finally made it to see my Mum today, *only* about two and a half weeks late for her birthday, but that’s largely the fault of Mr Snow. We’re very glad he’s finally cleared off, good riddance.

Anyway, we set off to Hopton Hall to enjoy a gentle amble around the gardens, open at this […]

Beyond Limits – Part 4

And finally:

The autumn colours in the gardens at Chatsworth were stunning. The Beyond Limits exhibition couldn’t have had a better backdrop.

Obviously, I couldn’t resist taking some photos…

There were lots more sculptures that I haven’t shown you. If you’re interested in seeing them, the pictures are here.

Links:See all my […]

Beyond Limits – Part 3

The Good News:

Last year, for me, one the highlights of the Beyond Limits exhibition was this piece, Autumn Reflection, by Zadok Ben-David. From a distance it looked like a stylised tree, but on closer inspection we discovered that it was made entirely from small metal figures.

So it was good news to discover […]

Beyond Limits – Part 2

Some more pictures from Beyond Limits at Chatsworth. Two very different pieces from husband and wife François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne.

Pomme de New Yorkby Claude Lalanne

This would look lovely in any light, at any time of year, but there was something very fitting about this giant golden windfall amongst all the autumn leaves.

Le […]

Beyond Limits – Part 1

Beyond Limits is Sotheby’s annual selling exhibition of modern and contemporary sculpture and I’m pleased to see that it seems to have become established as an annual event at Chatsworth.

The selling aspect of the exhibition targets a very select audience. You know the old saying: if you need to ask how much it is, […]